Prostate Cancer: Symptoms, Who Gets It, and Supplements that Lower Risk
Jillita Horton
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Did you know that more men in America get prostate cancer every year (up to 230,000), than women get breast cancer? It kills about 31,000 American men every year. It's the second-most c 
ommon cancer in men (behind skin). Don't let the relatively low level of publicity deceive you into thinking prostate tumors are rare. They can also be deadly, killing about 30,000 U.S. men each year.
About one-third of afflicted men are under 65, and though you may feel protected due to youth, this is not something to ignore as you get older. It happens, even to men in their 40s. Unlike breast cancer, this disease cannot be easily discovered during routine self-exams. Furthermore, information about known risk factors, and how to lower risk, is even less definitive than that for breast cancer.
On the other hand, there are definite symptoms that are hard to ignore:
· Trouble having or keeping an erection (impotence)
· Painful ejaculation
· Blood in the urine; painful urination
· Pain in the spine, hips, ribs, or other bones
· Loss of bladder or bowel control.
Early prostate cancer usually has no symptoms. Prostate cancer can be discovered long before symptoms begin. The American Cancer Society says, "Most of the time, prostate cancer grows slowly. Autopsy studies show that many older men who died of other diseases also had prostate cancer that neither they nor their doctor were aware of. But sometimes prostate cancer can grow and spread quickly."
Like breast cancer, about 5-10 percent of prostate cancers are linked to genetic mutation. The American Cancer Society recommends that healthy men get a PSA (prostate-specific antigen) blood test, and digital rectal exam (DRE) every year, starting at age 50. The PSA test can detect early prostate cancer, but not with 100 percent accuracy. A high PSA means additional tests are needed. This is why the prostate exam should always include both the PSA and DRE.
Men at high risk should begin testing at age 45. Two key risk factors are having a first-degree relative who was diagnosed with the disease before age 65; and-for reasons not clear-being of African American heritage.
About one-third of afflicted men are under 65, and though you may feel protected due to youth, this is not something to ignore as you get older. It happens, even to men in their 40s. Unlike breast cancer, this disease cannot be easily discovered during routine self-exams. Furthermore, information about known risk factors, and how to lower risk, is even less definitive than that for breast cancer.
On the other hand, there are definite symptoms that are hard to ignore:
· Trouble having or keeping an erection (impotence)
· Painful ejaculation
· Blood in the urine; painful urination
· Pain in the spine, hips, ribs, or other bones
· Loss of bladder or bowel control.
Early prostate cancer usually has no symptoms. Prostate cancer can be discovered long before symptoms begin. The American Cancer Society says, "Most of the time, prostate cancer grows slowly. Autopsy studies show that many older men who died of other diseases also had prostate cancer that neither they nor their doctor were aware of. But sometimes prostate cancer can grow and spread quickly."
Like breast cancer, about 5-10 percent of prostate cancers are linked to genetic mutation. The American Cancer Society recommends that healthy men get a PSA (prostate-specific antigen) blood test, and digital rectal exam (DRE) every year, starting at age 50. The PSA test can detect early prostate cancer, but not with 100 percent accuracy. A high PSA means additional tests are needed. This is why the prostate exam should always include both the PSA and DRE.
Men at high risk should begin testing at age 45. Two key risk factors are having a first-degree relative who was diagnosed with the disease before age 65; and-for reasons not clear-being of African American heritage.